In our morning reading: new comics by Gabrielle Bell, an interview with D. Harlan Wilson, and more.
Afternoon Bites: Christina Catherine Martinez, Emily St. John Mandel’s Latest, Michael Zapata, Broadcast Revisited, and More
In our afternoon reading: an interview with Christina Catherine Martinez, looking back at an album from Broadcast, and more.
Object Impermanence: On Kimiko Hahn’s “Foreign Bodies”
A caveat: Foreign Bodies is Kimiko Hahn’s tenth collection of poetry, but it’s the first and only one that I’ve read. By my own standards as a critic, this lack of familiarity with a writer’s work usually disqualifies me as a reviewer of one of their books. The only exception I make for this is when I read a book that is so fantastic and exhilarating and rich that I’m compelled to write less of a review and more of a celebration, a fan’s note, a paean to a particular book’s achievements. This is one of those cases.
Morning Bites: Jami Attenberg, Grouper on Octavia E. Butler, Helen Mullane, Translating Mercè Rodoreda, and More
In our morning reading: a review of Jami Attenberg’s latest novel, an interview with Helen Mullane, and more.
Afternoon Bites: Kathryn Scanlan, A Mighty Blaze, Katie Alice Greer, Ariana Reines Nonfiction, and More
In our afternoon reading: thoughts on books by Kathryn Scanlan and Natalie Diaz, new writing from Ariana Reines, and more.
Uncanny Fiction in the Wake of Unspeakable Violence: On Natanya Ann Pulley’s “With Teeth”
At what point does fiction become horror fiction? Is there some immutable border, some checklist of elements to be tallied, that propels a particular story or novel out of the realm of the disconcerting and into that of the outright horrific? Certain notable collections, including Jac Jemc’s False Bingo and Amelia Gray’s Gutshot find a balance between deft narrative construction and something both ineffable and unspeakable. That’s the space in which Natanya Ann Pulley’s new collection With Teeth occupies as well: meticulously written, while all the while abounding with glimpses of the bizarre and brutal.
Morning Bites: Lars Iyer, Jon Hassell Revisited, Gabino Iglesias, Gerald Posner Interviewed, and More
In our morning reading: interviews with Lars Iyer and Gabino Iglesias, thoughts on the music of Jon Hassell, and more.
Sunday Stories: “The Shorebirds and The Shaman”
The Shorebirds and The Shaman
by Kelly Fordon
Corinne’s husband, Ethan, died in his sleep. Right before bed, they’d had one of their rote conversations—the same one they had every night.
“What time should I get up?” Ethan was sitting on his side of the bed with his back to Corinne, fumbling with the alarm clock on his ancient phone. “Should I get up for yoga or sleep in?”
“Blah, blah, blah,” Corinne said. “Why do you ask me that every single night as if I actually care when you get up?” Though it sounded awful in the retelling, she’d said this in a playful tone. They chided each other. That was their shtick.